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slysonic7

Hooray now we have more bangers to look forward to


Jokerang

But will they also feature totally-not-a-Kelsey-Plum-lookalike?


Sef_Maul

If they don't, whats the point


BiteMajor4959

Some may ask: what was the point in the first place?


Astrochops

Some men will do anything to avoid going to therapy


Nearby_Blackberry586

That was. Chelsey Mandarin


SiphenPrax

All coming for number 200 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100!!


MetaphoricalMouse

all bangers all the time


Comprehensive_Main

Calm down Kendall. 


Charlie_Im_Pregnant

Those are just words. Words are just complicated airflow.


K_Prime

Bangers or burgers?


the-kza

BURGER AFTER BURGER AFTER BURGER


sWoods512

It’s fight night


justlookingokaywyou

You son of a bitch, I’m in.


Screwby77

Byyeeee. Enjoy your choices


Balls_of_Adamanthium

Doesn’t seem like he’s in a great place.


lvpr10

From the outside looking in it’s like he stopped caring too much about football once he got paid & the injuries started becoming more frequent. Prior to the 2022 season, he was well on his way to being a Top 3/5 TE in the NFL. The last 2 years have just been one seemingly step back after another. Hopefully he’s okay mentally. Guy had a great story.


barc0debaby

Probably hard to deal with the physical toll of football when therapeutic substance use is off the table.


ISISCosby

You know what, I've never thought about it that way but it kinda makes perfect sense. Like the narrative on Waller is that once the injuries started piling up, they never stopped...but it's entirely possible that that's just what happens to the human body when you subject it to the rigors of NFL games without the aid of painkillers to gut through a season.


AnotherStatsGuy

This is why I want the NFL to incoporate more bye weeks. They're expanding the schedule without expanding the in-season recovery time.


Feral_Taylor_Fury

I REALLY wish we had gotten one more bye week per season last time they did it, now they're forsaking an additional bye week again.


ISISCosby

Oh completely agree. We're gonna see the average career length get even shorter if they don't get these guys some actual in-season rest time. Even just one guaranteed bye in weeks 4-8, and one bye in weeks 10-14, with at least 3 weeks btw byes would be a massive improvement over the current situation. And it would actually improve the product, and it doesn't cost anyone money so it (should be) completely doable


miboyl

Plus they’d get an extra week out of the season, I don’t see how a second bye isn’t a slam dunk for all involved tbh


Impossible-Flight250

It’s the dumbest thing. I know the players will accept it because of the inevitable pay increases, but the schedule should have stayed at 16 games. I mean, when does it end. After 18 games, will they say “fuck it, what’s one more game.”


mostuselessredditor

Yes and that one will be overseas, too


screwhead1

>This is why I want the NFL to incoporate more bye weeks. Best I can do is future games in Brazil, Germany, England, and other places.


JerryRiceAndSpice

I think he was addicted before the NFL or when he first got drafted. He was drafted by the Ravens first then took time off IIRC because of substance abuse


please-send-me-nude2

I can’t imagine the whole, “30 car crashes, piss blood, rebuild ligaments, dozen more car crashes” cycle without being high the whole time


sloppyjo12

Sometimes I can barely even tolerate a normal life without being high the whole time


kim_jong_phil_

I can't so I'm high the whole time


6percentdoug

Yeah, but being a sober addict is sort of things like that in every single aspect of your life. I understand the physical ailments are different. I'm a tech consultant and I travel often for work. The way everyone gets ahead at my job is socializing with the partners and drinking and dinners every night. Those are off the table for me now because it's brutal to be at a 3 hour dinner where everyone's drunk. I am NOT saying it's as difficult as being an NFL player, but I am saying when you're a sober addict you get used to everything being harder, and if you let that get you down you're indeed not in a "great" place when it comes to relapse. Could be a complete different set of circumstances for Waller, I just hope it's not substance related.


LeBroentgen

When you don't drink it really opens your eyes to how normalized drinking is at such common, routine life events.


terminbee

Yea. It's basically impossible to socialize without it. It's the go-to thing to do because otherwise, just doing nothing but talking gets weird.


Illadelphian

I'm a former addict who very occasionally will have a drink but tbh I don't like it anymore. I get headaches easily, it doesn't taste good and I just like being sober more. Point is, in the almost decade I've been sober I've done some socializing and I've done the majority sober but also a few with some drinking. I have no issue at all socializing around people who are casually drinking. No problem fitting in at least, maybe because I've spent a lot of time under the influence of all kinds of stuff. The only bad part is when people get more than mildly drunk. That's just annoying to me now most times.


JerryRiceAndSpice

That's the thing. Only drink just to "Fit in" But then feel like shit after and then knowing that it was a bad idea and knowing you would be better off just not drinking after you just drank.


Illadelphian

Yea but it's also easy to not drink and still be social around people who are as long as they aren't getting wasted.


caisson_constructor

I don’t know if this was said literally but I know lots of people who socialize just fine sober. It’s impossible to socialize without being *around* alcohol, yes. But I’d say sobriety, or at least alcohol free, is gaining a lot of traction in major cities. Bars are starting to curate better selections of sober friendly drinks.


screwhead1

I don't miss drinking at all, and I feel much better without it tbh. But yea it is admittedly difficult to be around people all the time who area always racking up huge bar tabs.


terminbee

Not saying it's literally impossible but rather, in the current social environment, drinking is so ingrained that it's difficult to do without.


I_Fuckin_A_Toad_A_So

Ok I agree with your take but “everything being harder” just isn’t true and is victim mentality. Life is harder for some people but just cuz we’re addicts doesn’t mean everything is harder. Especially since we’re sober. Getting sober is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It helps put other problems into perspective for me


smurf-vett

Rehab also just sucks once you hit the age wall.  Oh you're 30+, that's gonna be 1 month not 1 week


BreadJobLamb

Also sucks his marriage fell apart after he got traded. Seemed like they both planned on playing in Vegas for a while and Josh McDouchface blew the team up.


Justice989

I can't fault any player for thinking the injury/rehab cycle is for the birds.  Always being in pain ain't for everyone.  But it's like people can't fathom why you'd want to stop playing pro football early.


logitaunt

31 is not early to end an NFL career.


sussysand

I can understand stopping early to keep your body intact. What I can’t understand is stopping early to pursue a rap career.


TB12-SN13

It doesn’t have to be connected like that. Possible he’s leaving because of injuries, and will likely use his new-found free time to make music and weird music videos.


Mr_Belch

Right? Like someday when I retire I'll probably spend most of my days in the gym bodybuilding. But I wouldn't say that I'm retiring from my career to pursue a bodybuilding career. I just have enough money to not deal with the stress of my current job and enough free time to pursue my favorite hobbies.


xSloppenheimer

I mean...a lot of these guys left school early to pursue the NFL, and in college, didn't really take any legitimate classes to build a career on. What other skills or exposures do they have? I'm sure they don't want to pursue a trade and expose their bodies to even more hardship.


ConsistentImage9332

It all depends on where they went, and their other interests outside of football. Former players have gone on and did a bunch of other things, and we never head of 1/3 of the stories.


KIumpy

Just because he pursues a rap career after he retires doesn't mean that's *why* he retired.


Justice989

Who says he's doing that though? He puts out one song and now his whole reason for quitting is to pursue his music?


Castellan_ofthe_rock

Really, football players can't have different interests? They can only retire early to avoid injury in your mind?


scotchkoreanguy

Felt like he was trying really hard to recommit last year. Had just married Plum, traded from a dysfunctional organization to one that had just won a playoff game, was completely healthy and a total baller all throughout training camp. Then, despite the terrible situation for the Giants offense last year, he even led all tight ends in receiving yards at one point before the injuries started to nag again. Too bad literally everything seems to have fallen apart for him, professionally and personally. This offseason is when it truly felt like he stopped caring. Same as you, hoping he's doing okay mentally.


forgotmypassword4714

He was top 3/5 already for a couple of years. At the time (2019-2020), Kittle was going through some injuries and it was pretty much Kelce and then Waller, at least from a statistical and fantasy football perspective. He had over 1,100 yards each of those years.


Bourneidentity61

Hope he can take some time to heal


IdkAbtAllThat

Or he's in a great place. He got paid and he's tired of the injuries. Walking away while he still can. 31 isn't exactly young for an NFL player.


Kicks4meFromyou

I wouldn’t be either if I divorced Kelsey Plum


root88

Or he's totally fine, decided he's rich, and doesn't want to be in a profession that pushes pain killers. Not saying anything about you, but anyone judging is a total asshole.


anonbutler

Recency bias has made us forget what a great story Waller has been. Out of league, addiction, depression and he turned it around to have a decent career. Great story


Rockchalk1104

I had no idea he was out of the league for any amount of time due to addiction. Interesting


homeschoolkidthatdid

If you’ve got the time, I’d recommend checking out his interview on Bussin with the Boys on YouTube from about 2020. He goes into great detail about his struggles and it made me a huge fan


billybayswater

They also went into it on the Raiders Hard Knocks season when they weren't covering Antonio Brown freezing his feet or calling his GM a cracker.


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DOELCMNILOC

Mr. Balloon Commute


lilplato

His interview on The Pivot Podcast was really good too


ItsDrManhattan

No coincindence its the two best football pods by a country mile in my opinion


screwhead1

BWTB has a good guest list, but often I can't stand Lewan.


Boomthang

I really like Raw Room. It's got Darren Bates when he's not coaching, Jalen Collins, King Dunlap, and their homie who isn't a pro athlete called Sweet. I like it a lot because 1. It's funny af. 2. Bates and JC were both mostly fringe type players who have a different perspective on the NFL than the starters and stars. 3. They are Memphis af in the best way.


fizz514

I've never gotten around to full on episodes but the clips I've seen are so damn funny. Like when Bates and JC are talking about the offense holding every play and Dunlap is just like "And? That's our job"


EthanSpears

It's still The Athletic to me.


xMoonsHauntedx

Always been a fan of him, but dude thank you for this. What a great interview.


NovaxPass

[Found the interview. Darren's part starts around 35min in.](https://youtu.be/7O2EvjI_vZo?si=vcvtsXQs2-JswDFI&t=2100)


Nujers

I think this one is after the one being referenced. The link you sent has the host telling everyone to go check out the 2020 interview.


Underground_Carrot

Yep. Think [this is the 2020 one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWCpoZBd33U)


PIG20

Yeah, we thought he had the potential to be a beast while having him as a rookie. Little did we know of his battles with depression and other mental wellness/addiction issues. He abruptly quit the league, got his life together, and then came back with a fresh outlook. He became the player we thought he had the potential to be. Too bad it didn't work out in New York but if he's walking away from the game, I'm sure he has very valid reasons.


Misdirected_Colors

I know his story is cool and all but "potential to be a beast" as a rookie might be overselling it a bit. The dude was a 6th round pick who had 2 catches for 18 yards in 6 games and barely made the 53 as wr 6.


xXKingLynxXx

He was 6'6" and ran a 4.4. He was a project but if he could get it together that's a nasty combo


anonbutler

I thought he was but checking his wiki it sounds like he was on practice squads or suspended.


Rollout25

Gruden saw him warming up before a game when Waller was on the Ravens practice squad and wanted him on the Raiders.


Business-Row-478

It was actually Greg Olson


GarconMeansBoyGeorge

Why would Greg Olson be warming up with the Ravens?


FireSalsa

There’s another Greg Olson that’s a coach


GarconMeansBoyGeorge

I was making a joke…


JohnBlind

Greg Olsen is a joke to you?!


bankarob

I come from Greg Olsen, you not say Greg Olsen weak


JohnBlind

How about Greg Olsen takes your little defensive backs and SMASHES them


Business-Row-478

Hey I thought it was funny at least


Anarion89

The guy was a baller in 2019 and 2020. Getting a big contract when like 27 or 28 years old is pretty rare for a non-QB. I think he became the highest paid TE at the time when he signed it too.


ASK_ABT_MY_USERNAME

Him and Maxx were both great redemption stories. The antithesis of Ruggs.


Rodgers4

Not really the antithesis, all three had personal issues and 2 overcame them, no reason Ruggs can’t too.


MrRobotTheorist

Ruggs can. But he killed somebody. That’s not easy to overcome.


Dry-Acanthaceae1689

He can't "overcome" it. He can turn it around and become a tremendous mouthpiece for the dangers of drunk driving and do a lot of good through charity work to that end. And that would be commendable. But the fact that he killed someone horrifically will never change. 


MrRobotTheorist

You’re absolutely right and I agree.


l3urning

Bro did charity work for drunk driving before this incident because one of his friends with killed by a drunk driver... I don't see why anyone would want to be or should expect him to be a mouthpiece.


toddhenderson

Originally drafted by the Ravens. Back then he was in the middle of it all. I believe Coach Harbs cutting him was a big part of him getting clean and his life straightened out - which resulted in a great NFL career and an incredible story.


Cloakacola

Drafted as a WR too out of a triple option offense


barc0debaby

Hopefully that great story continues post career.


balling

He was the king of hard knocks hype! He looked like a killer in that raiders preseason and delivered once the season came around. I remember thinking I was slick and going to take him in fantasy that year only to realize 5 other people in my league had watched hard knocks and were looking to draft him way above ADP as well lol


cire1184

Hard Knocks to fantasy hype is real. I feel like a bunch of guys get inflated adps after showing out on hard knocks.


tuckastheruckas

going full TMZ here, but with him getting divorced after a year of marriage and now retiring (and releasing that fucking weird song), it makes you wonder if he isnt in a good state right now.


NewAce77

Probably not my place to ask, but is Waller gonna be okay? Just divorced his wife from a pretty public relationship, history of drug issues, now no NFL structure to keep him occupied


CliffsOfMohair

Probably not my place to answer (although I am sober) But probably not. My hunch is his sobriety was extremely tied in to his athletic career and their relationship. I *hope* he has a good support system on his own, many people in recovery don’t have a fraction of the life he had. At the same time while many in recovery hit the lowest lows imaginable, they haven’t had the highs Waller has to compare them to. Apparently he cheated on his wife or something? Idk just the context I’m seeing from comments in this thread. But someone who is in a good place in their recovery doesn’t do that, it’s a program not just of stopping using but of personal growth. Many former players spiral once they’re out of the spotlight anyways. I am worried for him


redditaccount224488

> Apparently he cheated on his wife or something... someone who is in a good place in their recovery doesn’t do that I wouldn't make this jump. Plenty of (mentally) healthy people cheat for a myriad of reasons.


ikisstitties

yeah, solely tying in faithfulness in relationships to sobriety is a weird jump


Dawgmentality0011

It’s not. Both come from the same lack of impulse control. A lot of addicts also have issues with sex addiction and being unfaithful


h-town_info

Yeah, I don't think this will end well for him overall. I hope I'm 100% wrong but have this story time after time on these similar sports players


vanillagorilla_

No regular routine, no support network from coaches, no paycheck. Hopefully he has someone to talk to


Positive_Parking_954

Probably not


Jantokan

He's obviously not in a great place, and no amount of people in his life can probably rescue him from it. I hope he seeks professional help


thetreat

What fumbling Kelsey Plum will do to a MF.


StannisTheMantis93

Dude has an underwhelming first season filled with injuries and drops in the city of his dreams apparently, then decides to cheat on Kelsey Plum, and then drops the weirdest “diss” track in human history. Proceeds to quit football. He’s on quite the fucking roll.


elitenyg46

i really hope he’s not using again


SevroAuShitTalker

Yeah, that's where my head went reading that comment. He had a great redemption arc (oddly enough with the raiders)


barc0debaby

Raiders have the least number of player arrests in the AFCW this century.


My_Names_Jefff

Can't get arrested if you dont get caught.


GotCapped

And you can’t get caught if you stab all the witnesses to death


hanky2

Why do crimes when you can have the time of your life legally in Vegas.


OfficialPeenLicker

Well it was his wife who kept him on the straight and narrow


TegTowelie

Spent too much time watching CTESPN


CalvinYHobbes

He’s had such a bad year I’d worry about him relapsing.


SirLuciousL

This is a huge assumption to make, and I hope I’m wrong, but his strange recent behavior makes it seem like he may have already relapsed.


lawnicus18

I give it 3 months before he’s either shilling crypto or some weird ass pyramid scheme. Valentus coffee or Pampered Chef


tropic_gnome_hunter

Pampered Chef at least makes good products


schuster9999

Bros got face tats now too


Bingbong2774

Following in Antonio Brown’s footsteps


Bluepaynxex

He had every right to leave her after seeing the video of her eating popcorn.


c0smichero

😳🤌🍿 👀👀 😁🤪


MiguelKantorito

NoT mE eAtInG pOpCoRn 🤪


stephenspielgirth

It’s giving popcorn eater


GetsThruBuckner

https://imgur.com/a/2cBF2ay


Fantastic_Emu_9570

She’s so quirky tho


Below_Average_Artist

Can’t take her anywhere


NuggLyfe2167

She was just goofing around with her friends, it's really not as weird as y'all make it out to be. Let people have fun, damn.


SKT_Peanut_Fan

I just watched it and it was goofy, but is this really something people are trashing her about?


RyanTheQ

Yep. You should see the hate on instagram. Men online when a woman has fun: 😡


t-pat

Moments like these really touch on something interesting about human psychology. Someone being goofy and having fun *in just such a way* to get absolutely roasted by thousands of people. And not even only in a lighthearted way, people are genuinely put off by it. It feels impossible to fight against, this is just how humans are wired somehow


Spiritual_Boss6114

Shout Out to Grant Williams. Dude took a huge ass risk in asking Satou Sabally's number after the game. Got called out by social media. And still got it. Satou Sabally, a straight up baddie.


ClaymoresRevenge

Batman has game


DennisNedrysGhost

Trading bangs for bangers


MemeLord563

Sad ending to what could have been a great career if not for injuries


ontheru171

Good luck in retirement to him and let's hope his recent personal and professional set backs don't cause serious health consequences for him.


ExpressLaneCharlie

I mean, the guy is 31. With advances in medicine and rehab technology most of us view this as still really young. But damn, after playing in college I still have multiple injuries that wake me up at night. And I have teammates in WAY worse shape than me. I think he just came to the realization how much pain he'll be in for if he kept going. Wish him the best.


Posluszny

The thread where the trade was announced has aged like milk


randomusernamewhynot

We told giants fans he was cooked physically but they wouldn't listen


NatAttack50932

Physically wasn't the issue. He had his hammy issue of course but he was still leading the team in yards for most of the season. It's the mental issues that are surprising.


Fret_Shredder

He was leading TEs in receiving yards last season until he got hurt though. Not saying he was ever built to last, but the guy could still play. Oh well, just another failed Giants trade/signing we’re used to it.


silver-fusion

Allow me some pedantry, this is Reddit after all. But aged like milk is supposed to cover a take that turned bad almost immediately. A take that ages badly after a couple years is more like aged like the packet of cereal.


dead_gerbil

Wanted the best for him but it just didn't work out


QuaxlyDaDon

I’m going to hazard a guess and bet that this thread will be filled with some variation of the same two jokes


Heisenripbauer

- something something music career - kelsey plum - what catching passes from Daniel Jones does to a mfer ad nauseam


everythingisreallame

What reading top comments on /r/nfl does to a mfer's originality


traws06

You think that’s bad? Go to the afc west meme subreddit. It’s a bunch of grade schoolers that haven’t used their first curse words yet trying to make jokes


forgotmypassword4714

You're right, the memes over there are so cringe that I had to mute that subreddit.


LosAngeles1s

what divorcing Kelsey Plum does to a mfer


Acting_Appalled

What catching passes from Daniel Jones and Drew Lock does to a mfer


Bobby_Savoy

How dare you insult Big Cock Lock


Fantastic_Emu_9570

It’s horse cock lock to be clear


-dov-

If I was already a millionaire and I had to commit a year of traumatic brain injuries to playing with Danny Dimes I'd quit too.


Ramzy191

Him retiring isn’t going to stop the clips from that music video being weaponized against Giants fans for years to come.


Reduxy

Shout out to the raiders for fleecing the giants


lvpr10

One of the few things McDaniels & Ziegler got right


Orange_Kid

And uniting the world in laughter.


clic45

Fleecing is kinda harsh. He was leading TEs in receiving for the first half of the year. I would still make that trade today coming off of the 2022 season the giants had. They needed the upside of a true weapon for the cost of a 3rd rounder. Risk was worth the potential reward even though it didn’t pan out. To be clear, the raiders won the trade, but it wasn’t a fleecing.


StannisTheMantis93

Sorry this is Reddit. EVERY trade is a fleece somehow. In essence it cost us Toney. Oh no?


kushnokush

I hate when people say fleece over crapshoot draft picks. Like, did the Titans fleece the Dolphins by getting a 7th for Isaiah Wilson?


Reduxy

Have you heard his music? It was a fleece


Burggs_

Who/what did that fourth round pick become?


ballsack-hunter

WR Tre Tucker. He seems promising in a small sample size


PrimetimeD18

"Finally Daniel Jones has a good player to throw to"


homeschoolkidthatdid

Idk, Waller had more catches than Tre Tucker did last year. Think I’d call that a wash


progress10

Tucker was a WR4 last year, he will be moving up this season.


homeschoolkidthatdid

He could, he's got some talent. You also added Gallup and Guyton and drafted Bowers, in addition to Adams, Meyers, and Mayer already on the roster. I'm not sure where Tucker will fall in the target order, but I'd be surprised if he generates enough production to call this trade a fleece. It's just one of those transactions that made sense for both teams at the time


rsnk73

Bro going full Dwall


scgavin

Finally he’s made a decision. Theo Johnson szn


Ahambone

Bruh just please stay clean that's all I ask


Mysterious_akiyama

People are making fun of him for some reason but man what an inspiration he is, from a 6th round pick who overdosed to a pro bowl selection and a 50 million dollar contract, hope he’s doing good and enjoys retirement


SlapChopMyShamWow

Had to focus on his rap career


ecupatsfan12

Greg Olsen smiles


Toxicyoshi7

Waller was fun for a season or two, he wasn't ever really like ELITE but got overrated because of fantasy football. I will always support him and he can retire as a Raider.


booyahbooyah9271

TE is such a dead position in fantasy that you take what you can get.


CallRespiratory

I hope he's doing alright. Honestly he's looked checked out of football for a while now, couple that with his divorce and history and you've got a recipe for disaster.


Poetryisalive

Meh. Nothing lost and nothing gained. Needs to get his shit together after cheating on his wife though


PUfelix85

Eight years in the league and ready to retire. I chose the wrong profession.


rNBAMods3InchesHard

Has anyone noticed that he retired after getting divorced and putting out that song? I haven’t seen any comments referencing them so I was just wondering


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Elias_The_Thief

Good news, you DO have a small fraction of his money


LakeShowBoltUp

Waller was incredible in the rare instances he was healthy.


PIDDYPUFFPUFF

Oh fuck, he actually quit his day job. Can I block music before it releases?


tuckastheruckas

going full TMZ here, but with him getting divorced after a year of marriage and now retiring (and releasing that fucking weird song), it makes you wonder if he isnt in a good state right now.


Jonjon428

Hope he's in a good mental place.


DollarLate_DayShort

“I am the walrus…. Goo goo g’ joob”


realdeal411

Am I going crazy or was this reported like a week ago


TempeSunDevil06

Guy broke free from addiction, got paid in his short window, and gtfo. I respect the hell out of that. Just keep him out of the studio


moutonbleu

Made his money and is done. Congrats Darren!


Charrbard

Maybe should get a job with a team off the field? The game seemed to help him recover.


Deep-Ad2155

Glad raiders offloaded him before


TheOSU87

Giants did him in


HungryHumble

Buddy is a walking fumble. Fumbled the bag and fumbled Kelsey Plum.


Ok_Caramel1517

I really hope the guy hasn't relapsed.